Luka, Dereck, RJ and J.J. Take Over Wemby’s Debut
The spotlight was not on Wembanyama in his NBA debut.
It was supposed to be a special night for Victor Wembanyama.
He was supposed to step onto the court in Frost Bank Center in San Antonio on Wednesday evening and accomplish amazing things as the bright lights shined on him.
And though he did have a stellar performance -despite getting into foul trouble and getting benched- for his NBA debut (15 points on 66 percent shooting, 5 rebounds, 2 steals and 1 block), he didn’t have all of the audience’s attention.
Rather, much of it was on Luka Doncic, Dereck Lively II, Richard Jefferson and J.J. Redick.
Luka stole the show from Wemby by doing Luka things. He started the game off slow, but once he got the ball rolling, boy, did it roll.
Doncic played just under 35 minutes. But this was enough for him to get a 30-point triple-double (33 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists) to lead the Dallas Mavericks to a comeback win in the season opener.
However, the win wouldn’t have been possible had it not been for Lively II's complete dominance in the paint.
He played with no fear in his NBA debut as he contested shots and posterized opponents. He even outplayed Wemby -the rookie everyone came to see- with 16 points on 87.5 percent shooting and 10 rebounds.
The San Antonio Spurs had a chance to recapture the lead as they went on a charge late in the fourth but it wasn’t enough. The Mavs offence was too strong and they took the game 126-119.
As for Jefferson and Redick, they overshadowed Wemby because of how entertaining they were commenting together.
They were dropping knowledge as well as bagging on each other every chance they got.
For instance, Jefferson compared something -I don’t remember what exactly, sorry- from Redick’s generation to his. Redick then clapped back by saying that they played in the same generation; that Jefferson was drafted two or three years before Redick.
They then go into a fun debate about when they played and how it overlapped.
Jefferson also made corny jokes, such as one about whether Lively II should’ve gotten drafted before Wembanyama, that Redick just ignored.
They were hilarious together and their dynamic reminds me of the Inside Guys (Shaquille O’Neal, Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith, and Ernie Johnson).
I hope I get to see more of them throughout the season.
Anyway, it was Wemby’s first NBA game and I think he needs some time to adjust. He’ll get his revenge soon enough, though.
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